Purnal E. Whitehead, 83

Purnal E. Whitehead, 83, passed away May 31, 2007, in Buckley Wash. He was born May 19, 1924.

He joined the U.S. Navy, at the age of 17, shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked, and served until the end of World War II, when he was honorably discharged.

Purnal worked at Flathead Valley Glass in Kalispell and also lived in Spokane and Anchorage before retiring to Auburn, Wash.

During his retirement he pursued his favorite pastime as a master model builder. His work has been exhibited in many Northwest galleries and he won many awards in competitions in model building.

Purnal is survived by his daughter, Rhonda Jendro, and her husband, Dean, of Buckley; sons, Purnal D. Whitehead and wife Ronda and Brock Whitehead, all of Kalispell; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.